Review & Photos: Hangtown Halloween Ball

Images by: Sterling Munksgard

Hangtown Halloween Ball :: 10.22.15-10.24.15 :: El Dorado Fairgrounds :: Placerville, CA

“Scarecrow and a yellow moon/ And pretty soon a carnival on the edge of town/ King Harvest has surely come.” – The Band

As more and more of us have moved into cities and our food comes from every which where, ancient autumn traditions have largely slipped away. There are remnants in America’s so-called heartland but most of us don’t associate the coming of fall with reaping the rewards of long days of hard work, a time to celebrate what it takes to sustain humanity before it gets too cold to cavort outdoors. In its fifth year Hangtown Halloween Ball has taken on something of the air of a harvest gathering, a regular stretch of October days etched on the calendars of the faithful, good-natured fans of fest hosts Railroad Earth and a growing gaggle of locals, aging Deadheads, and string band lovin’ youngsters. A blur of smiling, multicolored motion, Hangtown is very much a “fireworks, calliopes and clowns” affair, a place where people charmed by the road and the musicians that travel it for their livelihood can gather, uncork new wine, and toast the blessings of good company, a full larder, and bright melodies to lift one’s heels.

[Best_Wordpress_Gallery id=”56″ gal_title=”20151022 20151025 Hangtown Halloween Ball”]

Started in the wake of another gone-but-not-forgotten Northern California newfangled harvest fair, Las Tortugas – Dance of the Dead, Hangtown is nestled in the small community of Placerville, a place where folks still read actual newspapers at the diner counter and say, “Howdy, where you from?,” to strangers having breakfast next to them. The place itself imparts a vibe to the festival. Sure, with folks pitching tents and wedging RVs into every corner of the El Dorado Fairgrounds there’s little quiet space or elbow room, especially as the festival continues to grow a bit each year. The general demeanor is loose and loud but pretty open-handed and friendly. Fresh faced, dreadlocked 20-somethings in patchwork hemp jumpers mingle with silver-haired veterans all-too-happy to recount seeing Jerry at The Keystone back in the day. Generationally, this is one of the most mixed fests going, young families raising a glass with retirees and middle aged folks finding a lot more time-softened company than at say Bonnaroo or Coachella. I heard more than a few people describe Hangtown as a “miniature High Sierra,” which fits to a degree, especially with a lot of the lineup mirroring the long-running Fourth of July festival, but the cornerstone of Hangtown is a single act who welcome in kindred spirits to their shindig.

Heading into their 15th year together, Railroad Earth were the model of inspired professionalism in their headlining Thursday and Saturday performances – a band of seasoned players that puts lots of care, thought and energy into creating a musical experience that’s creatively broad, gorgeously executed, and a good deal more emotionally involving than most bands out there today. Put another way, there’s so much life and experience infusing their songs and playing that Railroad Earth resonates on a deeper level than one often encounters in a festival environment, where the party and socializing often seize the foreground from what’s happening onstage. More than once, I teared up and definitely wasn’t the only wet-eyed person in the close packed crowd.

While Railroad is lumped in with other “jam bands,” what this weekend made clear is they are simply a great rock band cut from a cloth we don’t see much anymore, a band with skills, maturity, and vision to carve out their own space in an overcrowded world of sounds. The Band is a fair comparison, as are Goose Creek Symphony, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, and even the Grateful Dead – especially in the limber psychedelic fingers that crept from multiple tangents over these performances – but like these touchstones, Railroad Earth is their own thing, and this annual gathering is as much a celebration of that and how their “thing” has connected with some people as anything else. The group costumes, thematic song selections and other small but important details lift these sets above even the usually high standards RRE display on their endless road. They respect that this is their festival and bring their best in a way that shows the love fans feel is reflected right back at them. As ever, I walked away from each set newly impressed with these guys and the classy way they conduct themselves.

Other musical highlights over my three days at the fair include:

– Two muscular, high energy sets from Bay Area rockers Tracorum, who kept reminding me of the tighter, punchier band the Dead showed off in their studio work, well aware and capable of jamming potential but anchored to one fine tune after another delivered with just enough sparks and flash to let one know their chop arsenal is well stocked but unleashed with a careful hand.

– Rubblebucket’s blazing, fizzy lifting Thursday night barn-burner in the late night hall. With a sound redolent of prime Talking Heads, quality Afrobeat, Gang of Four, and a whole host of other impressive ancestors, Rubblebucket pop audiences’ corks, freeing up what’s bottled up and ready to flow if only we’re shaken in the right way. Visually and sonically exciting, Rubblebucket are sensational performers – really one of the finest live bets on the circuit today – who continually update and evolve their catalog, always searching for new connections, new lines to throw out, new colors to swirl. Watching people frolic – honest to God, heels in the air, grinning like an idiot frolicking – during ”Came Out of a Lady” the opening night of the festival, one felt warmed down to the bottom of their soul. Rubblebucket is the whole package and then some.

– The North Mississippi Allstars late afternoon set on Saturday was a beautiful stew of American musical strains with nasty, delicious blues running like a river through it all. From the fife and drum fueled moments that hark back to Civil War days to distorted, rap-dappled washboard breakdowns, to a traditional favorite like “Sitting On Top of the World,” to their own increasingly excellent originals, NMA was freewheeling in the way only really talented, confident players can be. Not much is accidental, even if the notion of the move occurred to them only moments earlier – Luther and Cody Dickinson play what they want when they want. The quartet was filled out by slinky, on-point bass from Ron Johnson and fife, percussion and vocals from Shardé Thomas, and everyone but Johnson moved around between instruments to fit the needs of each tune. Great fun and music of unruly, pulse-kicking charm.

– Perhaps the most original and unexpected surprise of Hangtown for me and some others was the genre-crossing hoedown of the Scott Pemberton Trio early Saturday night. Electric blues, modern dance music, island breezes, Prince-esque curlicues and more ping around in Pemberton’s unique vision. One is vaguely reminded of gifted contemporaries like Seasick Steve and Gary Clark Jr. but only in flashes. What Scott and his cohorts (actually a quartet at this set, which included wicked steel drums and Dr. Dre synth squirts) are doing is delightful, immediate, and so right-on I might judge you lacking if you didn’t like it. The material is getting better with each passing season – “Let’s Play House” is a badass, salacious, instant classic – and it’s nothing but positive that Pemberton continues to lean into shaping his vision, which welcomes in everyone ready to dance and kick down a few doors of perception with open, sweaty arms.

At this point, Hangtown Halloween Ball can continue as long as Railroad Earth wants. There’s a strong constituency ready to make this their regular autumn celebration. Overall, the fest is well run but oversold parking, a lot of staff with inconsistent information, an alcohol policy that needs revision, and other small, practical details could be smoothed out, especially five years in, to fully cement Hangtown as a must-attend boutique festival.